Strange Like We Are
(Ana-Them Recordings)
The most striking song on Campfire OK's debut full-length is the title track, "Strange Like We Are." It's a marching folk-rock anthem aimed at taking back the streets from "pastels and deep V-necks" (which are obnoxiously plentiful in Seattle) and finding a place where the band can fit in, where people are "strange like they are." But let's face it, Campfire OK aren't all that strange, especially here in the Northwest. For every deep-V-neck-wearing chillwave fan, there's a beard-boasting banjo player. But despite their name (and their beards), one can't discount Campfire OK as a band born out of just another trend. While they're every bit as organic as nature-loving artists like Fleet Foxes or even the Moondoggies, Campfire OK are also a bit more complex, involving many orchestral characteristics—sweeping, dramatic piano and perfectly placed blasts of horns. The piano-heavy "Primp and Prune" flirts with a brighter Ben Folds vibe, and "Complimenting Parts" is a slower, utterly romantic ballad. Nothing about it is particularly strange, but I suppose "just different enough to remain interesting like we are" wouldn't have been quite as catchy. 
